It used to be that drivers could pull up to the dock at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, pay $3, and drive right onto the fleet's car boats, for a quick sail to and from Manhattan.

It beat the killer traffic, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll, and represented the only direct connection for drivers to get back and forth while bypassing Brooklyn.

But passenger cars have been banned since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, after the city determined allowing them would be too great a security threat.

Meanwhile, some of the largest ferry fleets in the country continue to accept vehicles, and have worked out a screening system to ensure safety for ferry passengers.

Restoring passenger car service is an idea favored by Borough President James Molinaro, who along with others had suggested the city take another look at the issue in 2007, when traffic was crippled by construction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The Staten Island Ferry's three newest boats were built with room for 30 cars each, designed before 9/11. The fleet's oldest boat, the John F. Kennedy, can carry about 40 cars.

With the Verrazano toll set to go as high as $13, and traffic and road construction becoming an unavoidable hassle, being able to drive right onto the ferry would certainly be an appealing commuting option for the Manhattan-bound.
According to the city's Department of Transportation, which runs the ferry, the screening process that would be needed for such a high-profile target is too arduous and time consuming, and would require law enforcement officers and explosive-sniffing dogs to check out the cars before they board, which could delay departures.
"It is possible one day, if technology can get to a point that we don't need that type of inspection," said DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow.
The city repeated its position when the Molinari-class ferries arrived.

WON'T REOPEN ISSUE

"They said, 'No, it will never happen again,' and they just won't even reopen the issue," said Theo Dorian of the St. George Civic Association and the Staten Island Ferry Riders Committee.

"The riders we've talked to and the people within our group would all like to see that expedited, both for convenience and for being connected to the city better, and also for environmental reasons."

"It's something we should take a look at," said City Councilman Ken Mitchell, whose predecessor had asked the DOT to consider allowing motorcycles back on the ferries.

Ferry Chief James DeSimone told then-Councilman Michael McMahon in December that allowing motorcycles or cars back onto the boats would require, at minimum, adding another canine unit, and devising an examination process incorporating a complete visual examination of the vehicle, which he said would be a time-consuming, expensive and onerous process.

In addition, DeSimone told McMahon, the ferry is considered one of the most high-profile marine targets in the country, and doing anything to increase the risk to the vessels and their passengers "is imprudent."

OTHER SYSTEMS

Other major ferry systems throughout the country are getting by with effective but much lower-tech security.

Pulling off security sweeps fast and efficiently is difficult, but "it can be done, because we're continuing to do it," said Scott Davis of Washington State Ferries, which relies exclusively on explosive-detecting K-9s to patrol vehicles waiting to board the ferry.

The large ferry system moves about 11 million vehicles a year around the Puget Sound.

Drivers are asked to get to the terminals in advance of departure, Davis said, and sometimes last-minute arrivals will be held up for screening and will miss the boat.

At the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which sails between Cape May, N.J., and Lewes, Del., drivers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure for screening.

Screening technology was tested there in 2004 that can peek electronically into hidden parts of vehicles to detect explosives. The screening process took just under 34 seconds per car.

A drawback to instituting such measures in St. George would be the difficulty in establishing a screening area on a level surface away from restricted areas under the terminal, according to DeSimone.

The DOT is gearing up to replace the non-car-carrying Barberi class ferries. It is unlikely the replacements for the Barberi and Newhouse ferryboats will carry cars either, but ferries to be ordered down the road could have that capacity, according to city officials.

MADE 600Gs PER YEAR

Before 9/11, the ferry generated more than $600,000 per year in car fares.
The Staten Island Ferry's Coast Guard-issued certificates of inspection currently only allow city- and state-owned and emergency vehicles to travel on the ferry, and only on a case-by-case basis.

The Coast Guard would ultimately be responsible for approving any plan to restore car service, but whether or not to allow cars is DOT's decision, according to Coast Guard Commander Brian Gilda, Chief of Inspections for Coast Guard Sector New York.